


Salt the Earth (So Nothing Grows)

by naasad



Series: I'll Be Good [8]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Angst, Closure, Family, Feels, Gen, References to Past Resurrection, Salt And Burn, grave robbing, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 14:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15294000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naasad/pseuds/naasad
Summary: Dick doesn't ever want to see Tim that afraid again.





	Salt the Earth (So Nothing Grows)

"The hell are we doing here, Dickie?" Jason asked, leaning against a headstone. "The last time I was in a graveyard was not fun for me, so please explain."

"Where's Drake?" Damian snarled, hopping down from a nearby tree.

Dick opened his mouth to explain.

"Not invited." Cass materialized out of the shadows, scaring all three of them.

"Geez, Cass," Jason sighed, putting away his guns.

"Sorry, Jay," Dick said. "I didn't think about that."

Jason snorted.

"But, yeah, Tim's not invited. I - He -"

"Say we're visiting unspeakable things upon the bastard and his wife." Damian cracked his knuckles together a little more gleefully than he should have.

Dick gestured uselessly for a moment, then sighed. "Back in the other world, Tim didn't care about his other self, but he was terrified his parents would come back, and, well.... That's not exactly an impossibility in our line of work, so...." He stepped aside and pointed to the salt and gasoline behind him.

"Dick," Jason said, "you've been watching too much tv."

Dick scoffed. "Yeah, okay, fine, I know, but we owe it to Tim to try." He looked around at them all. "He's our brother."

Damian scowled at the ground and kicked the dirt. "I will help."

"Yeah," Jason said. "Me, too."

"And me," Cass said.

Jason stretched his arms. "Now, did you remember to bring shovels?"

Dick nodded and walked around the base of the tree to where he'd hidden them.

They dug for hours, taking turns on watch. Finally, they'd cracked open both caskets.

Jason coated both bodies in gasoline and Damian followed behind with the salt. They stood above the corpses.

Dick sighed and turned to Jason. "Got a light?"

Jason snorted and dug in his jacket. "You remember the shovels but not the matches, typical." He viciously struck several matches at once and tossed them down on the bodies below.

They sat vigil for a long while. Jason was the first to leave, unable to ignore the thoughts that had been circling in his head since they'd arrived any longer.

Damian left next.

Thirdly, Cass laid a hand on Dick's shoulder. "It's done."

Dick nodded and sighed. "We don't speak of this to Tim."

"Lips sealed," Cass agreed. She glanced in the direction Damian had disappeared. "The others won't say, either."

Dick groaned and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Did I do the right thing?"

Cass wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Right thing? I don't know. But brother is safe and you can't hurt the dead."

Dick hugged her back. "We should fill in the graves."

Cass shook her head. "Don't. Fear is a powerful thing. They will do it for us and not tell. We cannot be caught."

Dick took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

His brother was safe.

That was all that mattered.


End file.
